The shipment of 520 Gree air-conditioners from Hongwan Port in Nanping Town to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in the northeastern Caribbean on Sept 1 marked Zhuhai's first cross-border e-commerce B2B export.

Gongbei is among a dozen customs offices selected by the General Administration of Customs to pilot an experimental supervision mode. This started Tuesday, two months after the first 10 Chinese customs had begun the pilot program.

Gongbei Customs at Hongwan Port processes Zhuhai's first cross-border e-commerce B2B export [Photo by Zhong Fan / Guanhai App]

B2B e-commerce export refers to either direct export of goods from domestic enterprises to overseas businesses by cross-border logistics or the export of goods by a domestic company to its overseas warehouse from which the goods will be delivered to buyers based on deals made over a cross-border e-commerce platform.

The new mode has streamlined declarations, prioritized customs inspections, and simpler refund procedures compared with traditional export. It fits into national customs clearance integration policies and allows commodities to transit under the cross-border e-commerce mode. This helps foreign trade enterprises save human resources and time while expanding overseas sales channels. 

Gongbei Customs, which administers Hongwan along with Qingmao, Hengqin, and Zhongshan customs, received seven declarations from four enterprises for cross-border e-commerce B2B exports valued at 500,900 yuan ($73,430) on Sept 1.